The primary objective of the research proposed here is to study the dynamics of speech production through the combined techniques of electromyography, cinefluorography and acoustic analysis. We will investigate the complex interrelationships among muscle activity, vocal tract shape and acoustic signal during the production of speech that varies in phonetic composition, speaking rate and lexical stress. The results should provide an account of the way the speech gesture is organized to meet linguistic demands and, further, how these effects might fit into an overall view of the neuromotor organization of speech production. A second objective will be to extend these studies into the clinical areas of speech deficiencies associated with neuromotor disabilities and structural abnormalities.